Toxic
by x.savvybizbie.x
Summary: CIA agent Sadie Carter is sent to stop the Barillo cartel and keep an eye on Agent Sands, but pretty soon things go wrong and they end up working together...SandsxOC.
1. Mariachi

**Author's notes: This is my Once Upon A Time In Mexico story.** **I've already finished it, so I'll post the first three chapters and if I get positive response then I'll continue to update - I should manage a chapter a day. This is a SandsxOC, and is pretty similar to the movie (especially as it's told in third person) but with the addition of my CIA agent, Sadie Carter. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time In Mexico, its characters or its plot. All I own is Sadie and Mr Cooper.  
**

**Chapter 1 – Mariachi**

"You asked to see me sir?" asked Sadie Carter, a twenty five year old, half-Mexican beauty.

"Ah, yes," replied Mr Cooper, interrupted from his thoughts.

Mervin Cooper was the in charge of all the field agents at the CIA – Central Intelligence Agency. Out of all the agents, Sadie was his favourite, not just because she was beautiful. She had long chestnut hair, and sparkling green eyes. Her skin was quite tanned, due to her Mexican blood and the time she spent in the sun. She was incredibly tidy, her hair was always perfect, so was her make-up, and her nails were always neatly filed and manicured. Even on missions.

She was a brilliant agent for many reasons. Her looks often tricked people, so she could get what she wanted, and she was very smart. She was also incredibly agile and her reflexes were amazing.

"You've heard about the plan to assassinate the Mexican president, haven't you?"

She nodded.

"Not that I know anything about it, they're not saying much on the news."

"Well, General Marquez has been hired by the drug lord Barillo to do the job. We want you to stop this from happening."

She nodded again.

"Anything else?" she asked.

Cooper shifted uncomfortably. He was hoping he wouldn't have to tell her this, but she could always tell when something wasn't being said.

"Actually yes. As well as stopping the assassination, we want you to keep and eye on the other agent who's out there."

"There's another agent? Who?" she shrieked.

"Agent Sheldon Jeffrey Sands," he sighed. She'd have found out eventually anyway.

Sadie felt herself tense at the mention of Sands. She hated him with all her heart. He was thirty eight, preferred to be known as just Sands, never hesitated in killing anyone and was also quite good looking. Not that that mattered. There was just something about him that infuriated her, and she didn't know if it was his big head or those good looks.

"So you're only sending me because, as usual, he can't do his job right?"

"I'm afraid so."

She sighed.

"You're a brilliant agent Carter. One of the best, in fact. But it's going to be very dangerous, so we decided to send someone older and more experienced. You were our first choice, I assure you. Please, you will still go won't you?"

She smiled. She liked Mervin, and would do whatever he told her to do.

"Why isn't he doing his job right?" she asked curiously.

"That's what we want you to find out."

She rolled her eyes.

"So you don't actually know anything about what he's doing?"

"No," admitted Mervin. "But we have our suspicions."

"So explain what I'm going to do," said Sadie, who always had to know the full picture first.

"Go to Mexico, arrest Marquez _before _he kills the president, arrest Barillo, but make sure you follow him first, find out exactly what he's doing. Oh, and don't forget to check on Agent Sands."

He passed the file over to her.

"Got it sir. When's the flight?"

"Tomorrow morning. And remember, they plan to kill the president on the Day of the Dead."

A day later, Sadie found herself on the private jet to Culiacan, Mexico. She was going over the files, getting the mission straight in her head. They'd booked her into a small hotel on the outskirts of town, half an hour away from the airport.

By the time she'd had to fasten her seatbelt for the descent, she had her plan. She was going to pretend to be a tourist, and for that reason had packed t-shirts saying things like _I Love Mexico_ and _Love Your Life_. Today though, she was wearing a white shirt and jeans. When she got there she'd drop her stuff off at the hotel, then get something to eat (she was starving). Then she'd find out information about her targets – including Sands.

As she stepped off the plane, she was overwhelmed by the sudden heat. No one had mentioned anything about the heat. She tied her hair up into a ponytail and put on her sunglasses.

The CIA had also arranged a taxi to take her to the hotel, which she was very welcome for. She didn't feel like walking three miles in the midday heat.

The hotel was…small. But, Sadie didn't need luxury; she just needed somewhere to sleep. Her room was on the first floor, and smelt like pee. But there was a clean bed, a shower and a toilet, so she couldn't complain.

She left her case in her room, and started to look for somewhere to eat. Her stomach was grumbling, and she really didn't care where she ate. Luckily, it was just a five minute walk to the shops and restaurants, through narrow alleys which were much cooler than the streets. The first place she found was a smoky café, which was quiet and seemed to serve meals.

Sitting at a table near the door was a man. He had dark shoulder length hair and wore a dark brown jacket. He looked remarkably like…

"Sheldon Jeffrey Sands!" she cried, sitting down opposite the man. He looked up. He wore blue-tinted sunglasses and black leather gloves and appeared to be more attractive than the last time she saw him

"Sadie Carter?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

Before she could answer, a man pulled up a chair next to them. He wore an eye patch over his right eye.

"You didn't tell me there'd be a girl," the man muttered.

"I didn't know myself," replied Sands, looking at Sadie.

She rolled her eyes and pulled off her sunglasses so she could see the two men better.

"I never heard of him," said Sands, now acting like Sadie had gone.

"Who?" asked the man.

"The man you recommended."

"The guitar fighter?" he asked, disbelieving. "He wiped out a couple of towns single-handedly. A real nut-job. Yeah, you probably heard of him. You just didn't know it was him they were talking about. You should meet him."

A waitress interrupted their conversation (which Sadie had been listening to closely) carrying a plate of food. She looked at the three of them, wondering whose it was.

"Me, that's mine," Sands told her, smiling.

She set down a plate of some sort of pork dish and a glass of something before walking away, allowing them to continue their discussion.

"Just as long as I'm not the guy who has to make the introductions," the man continued. "Were you in Mexico during the Barillo cartel massacre?"

Sands looked up from his food.

"No," he said, shaking his head.

"That's when I first heard about him. He was a legend. They used to say he was the biggest Mexican they'd ever seen. That was total rubbish," he chuckled. "He was five nine, five ten, tops. That's no record, but bigger than most of us. But Marquez, that's a different story."

Sadie perked up at the mention of Marquez. She might need the information this man was giving away.

"Marquez," he carried on. "_General_ Marquez. He was powerful, dangerous. He really had it in for this Mariachi, you see. They called him 'Mariachi' because he used to carry this guitar."

"A guitar?" asked Sands curiously.

The man nodded.

"Believe me; he really knew how to play it too. He even used it to shoot a couple of guys. Specially made for him, a gun fitted inside."

Both Sadie and Sands raised their eyebrows.

Seeing the looks on their faces, he shrugged.

"Look, this story is well-travelled. It might have picked up some embellishments on the way. Just read between the lines…Now, he may not have been the biggest Mexican ever, all right. But _she_ was as deadly as she was beautiful."

"There's a girl?" asked Sands, looking up again.

"Oh yeah, there's a girl. When he'd run out of ammo, she'd take over. The most drop-dead gorgeous woman you'll ever see. That's where all the trouble began. See, she was with Marquez. And when Marquez saw that she was with the Mariachi, well, he went crazy. He hunted him down and fought Mariachi to the death. And then she…put a bullet in his heart. Only, he didn't die. I don't know what happened after that."

"Would you like some?" interrupted Sands, gesturing to his pork.

"No," answered the man. Sands looked at Sadie, and she shook her head. "Maybe Marquez caught up with them, or the cartels," said the man. "But like I said, the man is a myth, a legend. And if he's still living, he's the one you want."

"Well," started Sands, removing his glasses. "That is truly unbelievable."

"Well, I'm not big on telling stories. Where's the money?" he asked, suddenly turning serious. "That's the reason I'm here."

"I couldn't find a briefcase small enough for ten thousand dollars in cash," Sands said, picking a _Clash of the Titans_ lunch box up off the floor.

"I offered you fifty. Why'd you say no?" he asked suspiciously.

The man checked the contents of the box while shrugging.

"I'm not a greedy man. Not looking to get rich quick. Besides," he said, shutting the box. "Fifty thousand is a lot for what you wanted me to find out, you know. You may just as well kill me as give me all that money, right?"

He chuckled. Sands watched him closely, smirking.

"But ten? Ten thousand is civilised. Ten is something we both can live with."

"Ten might still be too much," Sands told him, raising his eyebrows.

"You'd kill me over ten thousand dollars?" asked the man, clearly not worried. "You wouldn't dare."

He stood up.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Yes I would," whispered Sands when he had gone.

Then he looked around him, checking that no one was around. Satisfied he placed a hand on his left shoulder and pulled. Sadie heard a mechanical hissing sound, and then the next thing she knew, the arm was off, revealing what she guessed was his real arm underneath. He placed the false arm across the table and pulled his own arm out from under the table, putting the gun his hand had held inside his jacket. He then picked up a leather bag from next to him and stuffed the arm inside – with some difficulty. Finally he zipped it up and picked up his sunglasses, ready to go.

"Aren't you going to speak to me?" asked Sadie.

"I've decided to pretend you don't exist."

"So you don't wanna know why I'm here?"

"Well, now you mention it…" he said.

"I'm here for the same reason you are, and to make sure you do your job properly."

He chuckled.

"They don't trust me?"

Sadie shrugged.

"They didn't say. But, obviously, you're not doing your job right, because you can't seem to do it alone."

"I am doing it alone!" he cried.

"Then who's the guy?"

"That's Belini, got some information for me."

"You paid him to get you information, I see. So what are you going to do with this 'Mariachi'?"

"That," he said, standing up to go. "Is none of your business." Then he walked out.

Sadie picked up her phone and pressed in Mr Cooper's number. He answered on the first ring.

"Mr Cooper, it's Sadie Carter."

"Wonderful, how's it going?"

"Well, I've met up with Sands."

"What's he up to?"

"He's payed some guy to give him information on this _guitar hero_. What he's gonna _do_ with the 'Mariachi', I don't know."

Mr Cooper sighed.

"He can never do a thing alone," he muttered. "I have to go now Carter, but call me when you have more information."

"Yes sir."

She put her phone away, considering what to do next. Eventually she decided to visit the Barillo estate, and find out what he was up to. Then she'd see what happened when and if Sands met this Mariachi guy.


	2. El, as in 'the'

**Author's notes: Here's the second chapter, where Sadie and El will be introduced for the first time. Hope you've enjoyed it so far.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time...,its characters or its plot.  
**

**Chapter 2 – El, as in 'the'**

**A small village on the outskirts of town**

An old guitar seller moved through the crowds, clutching his newest creation. This village treated its guitar's with pride. As he walked past each stall, he saw that most of them sold guitars, and men of all ages were carving them and polishing them.

He continued walking until he found the man he was looking for, El Mariachi. He was a normal looking Mexican, long dark hair, brown eyes. He wore a black suit, the cuffs and lower legs trimmed with bells. Anyone would mistake him for a normal Mariachi, not the legend that he was.

El Mariachi was sitting on a crate, sanding down a half made guitar.

"Would you do me the honour?" the seller asked in Spanish, holding his guitar out to El.

"You need to learn to play," El Mariachi told him.

"That's why _you're_ here."

El started playing a simple yet well known tune. All heads turned to him, and he continued playing, walking through the people and stalls to his home, still playing the tune. As simple as it was, he could make it sound like a whole orchestra was playing just by plucking the strings. And that was why the guitar sellers loved him.

In the village, trucks full of armed men interrupted the tranquillity. A tall man walked towards the guitar seller and his friend, men with guns behind him. The two men exchanged worried glances.

"I hear this is a town of Gunmen," the tall man said.

"We only make guitars here," the friend told him, gesturing to the stalls.

"Mariachi."

"Which one?" shrugged the guitar seller.

"El."

"I don't know who you mean," lied the seller, shaking his head.

The tall man looked around him, and then walked away.

The guitar seller shook in fear, for he knew what was coming next: death.

The tall man pointed a gun at his friend as if to say, 'you're next'. But he was interrupted by a loud piercing whistle. On the balcony of the building behind him was El Mariachi. He waved his arms at them.

They found him and took him down to the tall man, still pointing his gun at the friend.

"I'm honoured to be in your presence," the man told him. "But there's someone else who wants to meet you."

El looked around, and handed the guitar he held in his hand to the friend. He shook his head.

"No, keep it. He made that for you."

And with that, El allowed the men to drive him away, although he didn't know where.

Sadie stood outside the gates to the Barillo Estate. A man had recently walked in, and she wanted to know why.

After about ten minutes, the man came out.

"Do you speak English?" Sadie asked him.

He shook his head. Sadie sighed. She hated speaking Spanish.

"Listen, I'm CIA," she told him, showing him her badge. "So you need to tell me what just happened in there."

He shrugged nervously.

"I'm going to work for him."

"Who?"

"Barillo."

"What are you going to do for Barillo?"

"I don't know," said the man. "But I get paid."

Sadie nodded, he was telling the truth.

"You can go now," she told him.

Sadie stood outside the restaurant. Earlier, she'd overheard Sands on his phone, saying he'd be at this restaurant at two. Which it was.

Sure enough, he eventually walked through the crowds, and he seemed to have changed his clothes since earlier. He was wearing jeans and a cream shirt with patterned collar, and was carrying sunglasses and a cowboy hat. He could have made anyone believe he'd just stepped out of a Western movie.

"Howdy partner," she greeted him.

"Hello to you too," he muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Who're you meeting?"

"Why don't you come in and spy on me some more, then you can find out for yourself?" he said sarcastically.

"I think I will."

They both walked in. Sadie sat down at a table near a man playing the guitar, but she could easily hear what Sands was saying to a tall man he was next to.

"Did you order my _pibil_?" he asked.

The man nodded.

"Does it have a name?" asked Sands, referring to the man near Sadie.

"They call him 'El'," said the man. "As in 'The'."

Sands rolled his eyes, something he seemed to like to do.

"I know what it means, thank you," he said. "Alert the Barillo cartel that 'El' has come out of hiding."

The man shook his head.

"I don't think we should-"

"Are you a Mexi-_can_ or a Mexi-_can't_?" interrupted Sands.

The man glared at Sands.

"I'm a Mexi-can."

"Good," said Sands, nodding his head. He put on the hat and glasses. "Then do as I say."

The man narrowed his eyes at Sands as he walked away, making his scarred face appear even uglier. Sands walked towards the guitar player, the rings on his long fingers shining in the dim light.

He stood in front of the musician, who didn't look up. He hooked his hands over his belt, cowboy style.

"Nice tune," he told him.

"Something my brother taught me," replied the guitar player, still not looking up. Sadie noticed from where she was sitting that he was a typical Mexican, nothing special…"I killed him."

"Yes, I was told that information already," Sands said, sitting down opposite the guitarist. "How charming. You know, El, if I may call you that…" Sands removed the glasses (what was the point of putting them on?).

Suddenly, something in Sadie's head clicked. El, the guitar…this was the Mariachi. So Sands had met up with him…

"I've been doing a little snooping around," he continued. "And it seems that the cartels have quite a price on your head."

El looked up briefly, before returning to the guitar.

"I wouldn't want to be you," smiled Sands. "Tell me, is there anyone who doesn't want you dead?"

A waitress bought his food, the _pibil_ he'd mentioned earlier. _Pibil_ was a pork dish popular in Mexico, or so Sadie had heard. He began to eat.

"You tell me," replied El.

Sands looked up.

"I need you to kill a man."

El paused in his playing.

"El, you really must try this," said Sands, shrugging off what he had just said and passing the plate to El. "Because it's _puerco pibil_. It's a slow roasted pork dish, nothing fancy. It just happens to be my favourite, and I order it with a tequila and lime in every place I go to in this country. And honestly, that is the best it's ever been anywhere. In fact, it's too good. It is so good that when I'm finished, I'll pay my check, walk straight into the kitchen and shoot the cook. Because that's what I do. I restore the balance to this country. And that is what I would like from you right now. To help me keep the balance by pulling the trigger."

El looked at him fully.

"You want me to shoot the cook?" he asked, disbelief in his tone.

"No, I'll shoot the cook," replied Sands. "My car's parked out back anyway."

Sadie shook her head. She wasn't surprised at Sand's behaviour.

"_You_…" he said. "Will kill Marquez."

He passed a photo across the table, and Sadie could only guess it could be of Marquez.

"Do you remember General Marquez?" he asked. El stared at the photo with pure hatred in his eyes, memories floating on the surface. "He's being paid by Barillo to kill the President in an attempt to ruin the state."

"Attempt?" El still didn't take his eyes off the photo.

"Oh no, the president will be killed, because he's that piece of good pork that needs to get balanced out."

Sadie widened her eyes. Sands really wasn't doing his job right, he was going to allow the president to be killed!

"I say 'attempt' because we don't want Marquez taking power. I need you to kill Marquez after _he's_ killed the president. Savvy?"

"So why me?" El finally took his eyes off the picture.

"Well, because you've got nothing to live for…and in a way, you're already dead, and Marquez is the man who killed you. So why not return the favour? Go to the church. Meet with an associate of mine named Salome at three o' clock." He wrote something on the back of the photo. "And I will contact you afterwards if we have a deal." He placed a mobile phone on top of the photo. El nodded, standing up and taking the picture and phone, picking a piece of pork up as he left.

"Was I right?" Sands asked with a smile as El tasted it. He spat it out. "I guess not," he muttered, pulling the plate back towards him and signing the check.

Sadie stood up frantically. She didn't have time to watch Sands on his killing rampage; she had to catch up with El.

"Excuse me sir!" she called running after him. He turned to face her. "That man you were just talking to…are you going to do what he told you to do?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Why shouldn't you?" asked Sadie, smiling.

He smiled back.

"I'm going to the church at three p.m. to meet with his associate."

"I see," Sadie nodded. "And are you going to allow Marquez to kill the president?"

"I haven't decided yet," he replied.

Sadie nodded again.

"And are you going to kill Marquez?"

"Yes."

Sadie sighed. That hadn't been the answer she was hoping for.

"Listen sir, I know you hate Marquez, and there's obviously something I don't know. I completely understand that you want revenge, I'm a great believer in it, but when it comes to stopping me from doing my job, I'm not so keen on it."

"What's your job?"

"To arrest Marquez before he kills the president. In a way, you'll still have your revenge because Marquez will be locked away in a prison for the rest of his life."

"It's not the same as killing him."

"I know, and I understand. But please, just consider what I said alright?"

He bowed down.

"Whatever you say."

Then he stood up and walked away, leaving Sadie shocked and confused. She pulled out her mobile phone.

"Mr Cooper?"


	3. Confessions, Churches and Memories

**Author's notes: Okay, here's chapter 3. Anything written in Italics is one of El's flashbacks, although they might be a bit boring - it'll be a bit like reading the film. Anyway, I'm not doing a very good job of advertising my story, so you'd better decide for yourslef whether you like it - there's a bit more Sands/Sadie interaction in this one.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time..., its characters or its plot.  
**

**Chapter 3 – Confessions, Churches, and Memories**

**The Mexican AFN Headquarters**

"The last shipment of guns that were seized at our border have not been accounted for Sanchez. You are now off that assignment. Who wants to volunteer?"

The elderly boss in charge of the field agents at AFN was standing in front of a group of young agents. Not to his surprise, Ajedrez stuck her hand eagerly into the air.

"Okay. You, Gomez, it's yours," he said, ignoring the girl in front of him.

"With _el Presidente's_ new campaign against the Barillo cartel their activities are being pushed further forwards. I need new agents, strong and willing. This is a top priority of _el Presidente_. Who wants this?"

Again, Ajedrez stuck her hand into the air, higher than ever.

"Romero, it's yours. Pick your secondary person, a third if you have to."

Ajedrez looked at Romero.

"That's all. Dismissed."

"I hate him," muttered Ajedrez in Spanish as the men filed out.

"You're with us," Romero told her.

She smiled and stood up herself.

**El Presidente – Government Building**

"People of Culiacan." started the President. He was speaking urgently to his people, in a last minute speech. "I've come here to bring you a message of peace. Peace that at this moment is being threatened by a group of people that is threatening our nation. People like Armando Barillo. I invite you to gather our forces in order to prevent the destruction of our unity and our peace."

"_El Presidente_, history teaches us no matter how great your armies are, you will always need the favour of the people to take possession of a place," _El Presidente's_ advisor told him after the speech. "How can you compete with a man like Barillo? He owns Culiacan."

"He doesn't own its people."

"Barillo purchased hundreds of homes and ranches in the northern part of Culiacan. And then he has turned around and given these homes to the people. He's a hero to them," he said, shrugging.

"He's also a mass murderer and a drug lord," pointed out _El Presidente._ "He's trying to make himself a king by drawing people to his side, but the people can see through that!" he argued.

The two men stepped outside.

"Men like Barillo have stolen this country's soul," he continued. "But my people will stand up for what is right."

"I'm afraid they're no longer you're people, sir."

"Then I will die fighting. Are you with me?"

The advisor shuffled uncomfortably.

"To the death."

**Outside the church**

El stared sadly at the photo of Marquez. He hated the man with all his heart. He listened to the bells chime three o' clock, and pocketed the picture. He strummed the guitar gently, remembering…

_El and Carolina lay peacefully, sleeping in the midday heat. Suddenly, El sat up, disturbed from his dreams. He looked at Carolina, and sighed, lying back down beside her. He sung softly in her ear, and she smiled, she too awake. Suddenly he stopped realising that they were joined together at the writs by a chain. He lifted the chain, confused._

"_What's wrong?" Carolina asked._

"_Everything," he answered as he looked across the room towards the open window. On the balcony across the street stood two armed men._

_He covered Carolina with his own body as gun shots echoed across the room. She screamed, though she was used to this sort of thing happening. They jumped off the bed and ran across the hallway, dodging bullets from the floor below. _

"_This way!" cried El, pulling her back the way they had come. "Come on, come on, come on, come on!"_

_They continued running until they reached a window. El looked out._

"_Any suggestions Miss 'Let's get a room on the fifth floor so we can see the beautiful sunset'?"_

_He swung out the window, hanging only form the chain around their wrists. _

_Carolina screamed at him. She stuck a leg out slowly._

"_Jump."_

"_No!" she yelled._

_Impatiently, El yanked the chain, pulling her off the ledge. She screamed as she clung desperately to the chain._

"_Swing!" El called to her. She did as she was told, grabbing on to a pole sticking out from the wall next to her. "Hang on!"_

"_What do you mean, hang on?"_

_He answered her question by letting go from the window ledge and swinging down below her, grabbing on to another ledge._

_More bullets were flying at them, and although they couldn't see him, Marquez was watching. _

"_Let go now!"_

_She let go, and plummeted below El, knocking down a staircase going up the building. The steps fell down, landing on the bonnet off a passing car. Marquez ran forward, snatching a gun off a fellow soldier. He shot the metal ledge El was holding on to, causing him to fall. Luckily, Carolina had just grabbed another pole. Together, they both let go, their chain hooking over a telephone wire, so they dangled on either side. A passing bus knocked into El, and the force caused Carolina to swing over the wire, landing on the roof of the bus. Marquez was shooting wildly at them, and El pulled Carolina across the roof and in front of the window like him, bullets trailing behind her ankles. Marquez tossed his glasses off furiously .El drew out his gun, but it was snatched off him by Carolina._

"_Give me that!" she pointed it at the driver through the glass. "Stop the bus!" Instead, he ran out of the bus doors, landing on the pavement. El and Carolina jumped onto the roof, and ran along to the back. Just in time too, as the bus had just collided with an oil tanker. Together they jumped off, narrowly missing the flames. It was a good thing no one was on that bus._

El stood up quickly, Carolina's screams still echoing in his ears. He had to get to the church. He walked towards the huge building, clutching the guitar by its neck.

He made his way to the confessional, the bells on his trousers jingling with every step he took. The church was deserted except for one lady, praying near the front.

He sat down, looking through the transparent cloth to the other side. There was no one there. Had Sands been lying? He closed his eyes…

"A vow must be broken," he whispered in Spanish. "Forgive me for what I am about to become."

His prayers were interrupted by the door on the other side opening. A man sat down, a bushy beard covering most of his face, as well as dark sunglasses.

"When was your last confession?" the priest asked.

"An hour ago."

"And the name of your priest?"

"Sands."

"Okay. You are expected to carry out your assignment completely," said the 'priest'.

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

The fake-priest removed his sunglasses revealing rather familiar eyes.

"Failure to appear in locations at assigned times results in forfeit of protection, protection you will definitely need."

"Yeah…"

"You'll be paid. This doesn't come cheap. So there's plenty of cash floating around. There's more – you will be a free man…from Marquez, the cartels, even from the President…who isn't your biggest fan, let's face it."

"When do I begin?" asked El impatiently.

"Give me a moment."

Then he was gone.

El looked around. He heard something. It sounded suspiciously like…gunfire!

He dived out of the wreckage of the wooden confessional, leaving the men with guns confused. The jingling of bells caused them to turn around however, only to see El climbing up the wall of the church and onto the balcony. He swung over, ducking down, still clutching his guitar. He strummed it quietly, then walking away to the staircase. Looking over the railing, he saw two men walking up. He hugged the guitar tightly.

The men below were searching, some of them attempting to the climb up the wall like him.

El walked backwards and forwards slowly, tapping the guitar slowly. He looked suspiciously to where one of the men was attempting to swing over the balcony. He saw hands shuffle along the ledge.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, kissing the guitar softly.

Then, he smashed it, right over the man's head. He toppled backwards, landing with a smack on the church floor. El ripped the remains of the guitar apart, pulling out the gun he knew had been hidden in there. It had been made for him, after all. He shot the man as he fell. He turned around to see more men shooting at him, so turned and jumped off the balcony, firing shots as he fell. He landed, cat-like, on the floor. He pulled another gun out of the fallen man's pocket, and then moved onwards through the church. He turned so he was walking backwards, firing single shots at the men who had been approaching behind him. He dived behind the pews, and noticed that the old woman was still there, clutching her rosary beads, unaware of the violence around her. Then she stood up, walking, hunched, through the church. The men paused in their shooting.

As soon as she left, the shooting continued. El continued to shoot until there was just one man left, and he was out of ammo. He dived over another pew, quickly reloading. Just in time too…finally he was alone in the church.

His phone began to ring.

"Are you still standing?" asked Sands' voice.

"Still."

"Good. Well, the Barillo cartel aren't the nicest of guys, are they?" Sands asked. El was only half paying attention as he took the dollar notes he found out of the dead men's pockets to place in the church collection box. He had to pay for the damage after all. "However, you've passed the test. You're gonna do just fine. Assemble your team, and I will call you with further instructions. Over and out."

Sadie appeared out of an alley, near the wall that Sands was leaning against.

"You set the whole thing up, didn't you?"

"I certainly did not!" protested Sands. "However, I did suspect it was gonna happen."

Sadie chuckled.

"You're pathetic, you know that?"

He smiled back to her.

"Were you Salome?" she then asked.

"I can't reveal my secrets. I might have been, might not have been."

"You do know I listened to your entire conversation in the café, don't you?"

He nodded.

"Do you realise, that while you were killing the cook in order to balance the country out, I was speaking with El?"

"That I didn't realise," he said. "You must be a better agent than I thought. However, he's not going to do what you told him to do."

"Why not?"

"Because you're not paying him, whereas I am."

Sadie shook her head.

"Money isn't everything."

"True. So, what did you find out in the hour I missed you?"

"Not much. Just a little about El, and a little about Barillo. Did you know he has a daughter?"

"Now that you mention it, no. What's her name?"

"Ajedrez."

At this, his face went pale.

"Know her?" asked Sadie

"No, no," he stuttered. "Listen, I'm going back to my hotel room for a…disguise. Then I have some business to attend to, so if you'd care to join me, you might find out some more."

"We aren't supposed to work together, Agent Sands."

"That doesn't mean we can't. Meet me at the other end of that alley you came out of an hour from now. Okay?"

Sadie nodded.

"Okay."

She watched him walk away, a smile on her face. He wasn't as bad as she'd remembered. No! He was just as big-headed, cold-hearted and annoying as last time. But she did kind of like that. Not that she liked him, or anything. She was just here to do her job. She'd better ring Mr Cooper again.

**Author's notes: Ooh, Sadie's relying a bit too much on Mr Cooper, isn't she? Anyway, there were my first three chapters. Thanks for reading this far - please review! If you do, then I will continue to update frequently x**


	4. Sands and Sadie, sitting in a tree

**Author's notes: Hi! Thank you so much to Ditte3 for your reviews, they were really sweet and because of you I'm updating (you'll have to wait and see what happens to Sands...). This chapter contains a bit more SadiexSands flirting, which is so much fun to write. I hope you like it...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time..., its plot or its characters.  
**

**Chapter 4 – Sands and Sadie, sitting in a tree…**

One hour later, Sadie was standing at the alley, like she had been told. She tapped her foot impatiently - what was it with Sands and making her wait?

Soon, Sands appeared, talking on his mobile. So much for the disguise. He was wearing a casual brown suit and an orange shirt with trainers and sunglasses (key essential to any CIA agent). The only 'disguise' part was a very fake moustache. It was like he was hoping for someone to walk up to him and ask if it was fake. Then he'd probably shoot them.

"I'm just walking my beat, friend," he was saying. "Mexico's my beat, and I'm walking it. I set people up, and watch them fall. Have him meet me at the bullfight at five p.m." He put down his phone and walked towards Sadie, but was stopped by a young boy in a yellow t-shirt on a bike pulling up in front of him. He babbled something in Spanish.

"What?" asked Sands. The boy handed him some bubble gum. "Why would I want that? Why would I want bubble gum?"

The boy said something else in Spanish. Sands sighed and passed him some money.

"All right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, this should be enough," he said, waving the note in front of the boy. "So, I don't ever want to see you again."

"_Gracias senor_!" cried the boy, cycling away.

"Go away," he told the boy.

"Hi," said Sadie, walking towards him.

"I hate that kid."

"How can you hate him, you've just met him? And besides, he's just a kid."

"I hate kids."

"All kids?"

"All kids."

"Don't you have any of your own? I mean, you're married…"

"I'm not married," he interrupted. "What would make you think that? Do you see a ring on my finger?"

"No, but my dad never wore his ring."

"Whatever. I'm single, okay? Now I have to check something, then I have someone to meet with. Coming?"

"Of course."

After briefly stopping at an internet café, they proceeded to _another_ café. There were a lot in Culiacan. Sands and Sadie sat at a table, a few away from where Barillo was sitting. Somehow, Sands was expecting him to be here. They removed their sunglasses and ordered drinks and food. No surprise, Sands ordered _puerco pibil_.

A few minutes later, a man walked towards them and sat down. He was Mexican, must've been in his early fifties.

"Hi," said Sands with a cheery smile.

"Hello," the man replied. Then he looked confused at Sadie.

"Sadie Carter, I'm an…associate of Sands'."

"The CIA sharing a meal with the FBI. Now if that isn't interagency cooperation, I don't know what is."

"I'm retired FBI," the man corrected him.

"A real agent never retires," Sadie told him.

"Yeah. He just…takes it a little easier," joined in Sands.

"Why are we talking?"

"You tracked down Armando Barillo," began Sands. "For two years when he was running operations out of San Antonio. "

The man shook his head.

"It never led to an arrest."

"Well, he-" Sands was interrupted by a waitress bringing their food. He smiled at her before continuing. "He is, in fact, sitting directly behind you."

"I know. He settled back in, he's been living here for six years."

"Did you know that most agents never even see a top-ten criminal for their entire careers? You brought down two, didn't you?" The man nodded. "And now your third is sitting very, very close. Now retired or not, that has really got to bother you."

He shook his head.

"I'm a civilian now."

"Didn't he kill that agent friend of yours? What was his name…Archuleta?"

"Yes," he answered, emotions unclear. Sands nodded. "Barillo is a Mexican citizen. He cannot be arrested for crimes he committed in the U.S."

"Did you happen to know of a Dr. Guevara? Worked for the cartel. This doctor filled your friend with drugs, day after day, so that they could torture him for two weeks before he died. Now you must have known that."

How Sands knew that himself, Sadie had no idea.

"Dr. Guevara himself having dinner with your target. I wonder what it is they're doing right now. Two weeks of torture, Jorge. Think about that."

Sadie raised her eyebrows. Sands had never told her that the man was called Jorge. She also didn't agree with his methods of getting this man to do what he wanted.

"For your dead friend, for the job you didn't finish in San Antonio. Now, are you really going to let it slip away, _again_?"

He passed a mobile phone across the table. Then he passed him the plate.

"I'd like you to have a bite of my pork because it's…the world," he said, gesturing with his hands. Then he nodded to Sadie, and they stood up to leave.

"How long have I got to get to the bull fight?"

"Ten minutes."

Sands nodded.

"Enough time to get changed."

"Again?"

"Hey, I can't look the same for every guy I speak to!"

"Wait, you're speaking to _another _guy? Isn't four enough? One for information, one to fetch who you need, one for Marquez, one for Barillo…"

"Okay, I get you!" cried Sands. "But I don't have time for this right now. Meet me at the bullfight, if you want."

Sadie sighed. She really hated him sometimes.

**A bar, on the outskirts of town**

A man sung into a microphone, strumming the guitar as he sung. To most women he was considered handsome, with his typical Spanish looks. Cheers came from the crowd, and his friend joined in with his bass guitar. Lorenzo stepped down into the crowd, and bent down to sing to a young woman. She passed him a five peso note when he was done. An announcer called out to the crowds:

"Have the Mariachi sing to you for just five pesos!"

Lorenzo sighed and walked towards the back room, only to have his five pesos snatched from his hand. He looked up furiously, only to see his old friend, El. He greeted him with a fierce hug.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"Far away. Still messing around with this dumb job?"

Lorenzo snatched the money from him.

"Let me get Fideo."

He turned away to leave, but El pulled him back.

"I'm here for my guitar."

Lorenzo led him up to his room above the bar. He pointed to where it lay; pride of place.

"It's his last night," he said, referring to Fideo, who sat in the corner. "They're firing him."

"Hey…" said El, leaning down in front of him. "Fideo, it's me." Fideo looked at him sleepily. "Still drinking."

"Like a fish."

Lorenzo agreed to this by taking a swig from his bottle.

"I guess we haven't changed so much," muttered El.

Lorenzo went over to the guitar, pulling off the red cover.

"I didn't think you'd ever come back for this thing."

"Neither did I."

"Are we on?"

"I'll let you know." El took the guitar and walked towards the door. "Bring him sober, we're gonna need him, so…coffee. Lots of coffee."

Sands stood in the spectator area of the bullfight arena, wearing a grey CIA t-shirt and shorts, with yet another pair of sunglasses. On one side of him stood Sadie, who, for some reason wasn't talking to him. On his other side was his next 'guy'.

"Sometimes a revolution is exactly what's needed to clean up a system," he said, as they watched the bull run around the arena. "One giant…thing, which just so happens to be my area of expertise." He ignored the snort coming from Sadie. "Bullfights. Do you like this? The bull is stabbed, prodded, beaten. The bull is wounded. The bull is tired before the matador even steps into the ring. Now, is that victory? Of course it is. Wanna know the secret to winning? Creative sportsmanship. In other words…" he prodded the tall man who fetched him El, who stood in front of him. This man had some sort of gadget, which, with a press of a button, gave the matador an electric shock, causing the bull to run straight into him. "One has to rig the game. Go collect," he said to the tall man. He clapped along with the crowd, ignoring Sadie's glare.

Meanwhile, Tall Man was collecting money from people, until he had a pile worth a couple of hundred pesos.

"_El Presidente_ is giving a speech on the Day of the Dead," said Sands' next 'guy' (who happened to be the president's advisor) once they were out of the arena. "In the town of Culiacan. He's going to be isolated in the main government building in the centre of the plaza. Very easy to access him if…somebody can get you in."

"Right. You're the man who can do that," nodded Sands, pointing at the advisor.

"I am not the prince. I am the man behind the prince."

Sands' smile faded.

"I see."

"He's not the first prince I've served…nor the first one I've betrayed."

"You're a good rat, I like you."

"I try."

They were interrupted by Tall Man bringing the money to them. Sands opened a lunch box he had been carrying, allowing Tall Man to drop the notes in. Sadie saw that this time, the lunch box was Marilyn Manson

"You'll get the rest upon completion," Sands said, handing him the box.

"_Mucho gusto_."

"Right, right."

Then Sands walked away followed by Tall Man and Sadie.

"Can you excuse us for a moment?" Sadie asked Tall Man.

He nodded.

Sadie grabbed Sands and dragged him into an alleyway.

"Just so I know, what's Tall Guy's name?"

"_Tall Guy_ is called Cucuy," replied Sands.

Sadie nodded.

"Good, now you know."

Sands walked off back to Cucuy, but Sadie pulled him back.

"I'm not done yet! I can't believe you're paying the president's advisor to betray him!"

Sands shrugged.

"I can."

"Can what?"

"Believe that I'm doing it. I thought you knew me better than that, Sadie."

Sadie groaned.

While they were in the alley, the advisor realised he had something to ask Sands. When he reached where they just were, however, he found only Cucuy.

"Where's Sands?" he asked.

Cucuy shrugged.

"In the alley, probably kissing his girlfriend."

**Author's notes: Please review if you want me to continue updating! P.S. Please tell me if I've made mistakes in the story, the plot of the movie still confuses me...**


	5. Ajedrez

**Author's notes: This is Chapter 5, with yet more SadiexSands interaction, a few of El's memories and the introduction of Ajedrez. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time..., its plot or its characters.  
**

**Chapter 5 – Ajedrez**

**El's home**

El walked into the old building. The door creaked on its hinges. He set the guitar case down on his bed and walked towards the balcony. He looked across Culiacan, remembering…

_It was the day he and Carolina had married. In a beautiful building, underneath white awning. Carolina had worn two single flowers in her thick, dark hair. Their guests had lined the sides of the pathway, the women clutching bouquets similar to Carolina's. Their chains had been cut off, and then they kissed, the most romantic kiss they had ever shared._

El turned to face the guitar. He opened the case.

_El fastened the heart pendant around Carolina's neck. She smiled and told him it was beautiful._

He lifted the lid.

"_What do you want in life?" Carolina had asked._

He looked inside.

_It was just a few days until he would have a beautiful baby, with his beautiful wife._

He lifted the fake guitar, which was styled like a lid. Inside were knives, bullets and countless other things. He slammed the lid shut.

* * *

"Belini," Sands started, his real arm pointing a gun at him under the table. This time Sadie hadn't come with him. He was sort of disappointed, but knew she'd just be annoying anyway. "How long have you and I done business together? A long time. And in a way, I kind of, almost, could have the tiniest smidgen of respect for you. Almost. But you need to stop messing around. Now, do you have the information I need on Barillo or do you not?"

Sadie listened from the doorway. After their encounter in the alleyway yesterday, they hadn't spoken since. If Sands knew she was standing here with the information he needed, he would be very mad. Oh well.

"I have what you need," replied Belini, laughing. "I'm just enjoying this temporary position of power. That make you nervous?"

"You know that withholding information from a federal officer," began Sands dangerously. "Is a serious offence. Especially when that officer had paid handsomely for it and wouldn't think twice about killing you."

Belini stopped laughing and shrugged.

"Coffee?" a waitress asked, carrying a jug of boiling hot liquid.

"No," muttered Sands sharply.

She set it down on the table, accidently knocking it…over Sands' _fake_ arm. Lucky for him in a way, but it was going to look very suspicious that he hadn't reacted to that. The waitress started apologising frantically in Spanish, dabbing at his arm.

"I'm fine. Go away," Sands told her.

She continued to dab at his arm, Belini watching, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I am fine," Sands said, raising his voice. "Go away, you're off the hook. Leave me alone."

The arm was now wobbling around, as she frantically attempted to get rid of the coffee. Belini looked at Sands, confused.

"That spill just cost you your life."

Three shots were heard from under the table.

"Sands, no!" cried Sadie.

The waitress gasped in fear. Another two shots. The waitress backed away, and Sands stood up.

"Sands, don't!" cried Sadie, rushing in. She tried to run in front of the waitress, but didn't make it. Sands fired one shot at her, and she collapsed, though, to Sadie's relief, it didn't look like Sands had killed her. Then he turned around and shot Belini again, in case he wasn't dead. Waitresses and staff held up their hands in horror. Sands turned around, his gun out. When no one moved, he began to pick up Belini. He grunted.

"A little help?"

Sadie helped carry him to Sands' car, an old red and black…thing. They stuffed him into the trunk, and then climbed in, Sands driving.

"Where are we going?" asked Sadie.

"A long way away," Sands said. "It'll probably be evening by the time we get there. Thanks for helping out, by the way. I really appreciated your screaming."

"Well, I wasn't gonna shoot them for you, if that's what you meant. By the way, if you hadn't been so dangerous, it would've been really funny. I mean, you walking 'round with three arms. They must've thought you were some kinda mutant."

He glared at her. She noticed that the fake arm was hanging out of the window, still holding the spoon. She tried not to laugh.

"How am I gonna get the information on Barillo now?" Sands muttered.

"You could always ask me."

Sands looked at her.

"Well, I found some stuff out last night. You haven't changed since yesterday, by the way."

"I didn't have time; I'll change on the way back. Now, what did you find out?"

"You didn't say the magic word," said Sadie, being as annoying as possible.

"I have a gun you know, Sadie."

"So do I," she shrugged.

"Fine then, _please_."

"That's better. Now, I could tell you what I know, and potentially be wrong, or you could lift Belini's eye patch and find what you need in there."

Sands raised his eyebrows at her.

"You're serious?"

"Completely."

* * *

Sands was right, it was evening by the time they got there. 'There' was a lake, and if it had been a different situation, it would have been beautiful.

"Okay," muttered Sands, after they'd dragged the body out of the car. "I know it's on you somewhere."

He began to search through Belini's pockets.

"I told you Sands, it's in his eye socket."

He groaned.

"But that's gross. Somewhere," he continued to search, pulling out his wallet. He searched through it, finding nothing important, chucked it back.

Sadie looked at him. He sighed.

"All right. Time to get messy."

He pulled on a latex doctor's glove, which he'd found somewhere in his pockets. He lifted back the eye patch, and sure enough, there was a white piece of paper stuck in the socket. He pulled it out with a sickening pop.

"Well, I suppose I should thank you for not sticking it up your butt."

"Do I get any thanks?" asked Sadie.

"Yeah, thanks for getting me to stick my hand into someone's empty eye socket. It was great."

"You're welcome."

Together they pushed the body into the lake, and Sands chucked a rock on him for a final touch.

"So, you don't seem to be working against me anymore," Sands said on the drive back.

Sadie shrugged.

"I'll still do my job. And El won't kill Marquez, he likes me."

Sands looked at her.

"He likes you?"

"Yeah. Why, are you jealous?"

"No…but I think you like me."

Sadie coughed on the Coke she was drinking.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you seem to always follow me around and you're helping me out, which you shouldn't be doing."

"I only follow you because it's my job."

She sulked for the rest of the journey back, and they didn't arrive back in Culiacan until late at night.

Sands pulled up outside Sadie's hotel.

"How did you know this was my hotel?" she asked.

"This is _my_ hotel."

She groaned.

"Great, we're sharing a hotel."

He laughed.

"I can't believe I haven't seen you about. Wanna change before we go see someone?"

"No."

Sands got out, and said to her through the open door:

"I notice you're not in a hurry to leave!"

Then he slammed the door and locked her in.

She hated him right now.

* * *

When he returned, she noticed he was wearing an 'I'm With Stupid' t-shirt, which went well with her 'I Love Mexico' one. They looked like a couple of tourists.

"That t-shirt better not be a reference to me," she muttered.

Sands just laughed.

"Who are we going to see anyway?"

"An associate of mine…Ajedrez."

"Oh my God – didn't you pay any attention to me when I told you that she was Barillo's daughter?"

"Look, there are plenty of Ajedrez's in Mexico. She's nice, okay?"

They pulled up outside a block of run down flats.

Sands took a key out of his pocket.

"Woah, you have a key to her flat? I thought you were single?"

"I am. She's a friend."

When they reached her door, Sands attempted to open it. He cursed under his breath when it didn't work. Sadie pulled a hair pin out of her pocket and opened it for him. It still didn't open until he gave it a good shove however, causing him to practically fall through.

"I'll wait out here," Sadie told him.

"You're gonna pay for that," Ajedrez told him, turning around in her seat and pointing a gun at him.

"Why doesn't my key work anymore?" Sands asked.

"It's too small."

She shot at him, and he narrowly missed the bullet.

Sadie popped her head round.

"You okay Sands?"

"I'm fine; she's just…attempting to kill me."

"Well done," Sadie muttered to Ajedrez.

Sands shut the door, holding his hands up.

"Stand back," she told him.

"I just – I brought you a gift."

"I'm still mad at you."

"And trust me, it wasn't easy to get. So…"

He tossed the paper (which had been tucked into his glove) at her.

Sands knelt down in front of her.

"So, how about that? Guarantees you'll be able to arrest him."

"I'm impressed," she said. "But then what?"

"Would you like to hear my plan?" asked Sands, taking his jacket off.

She nodded, still pointing her gun at him.

"Okay. The new President is on a quest to clear out the Barillo cartel. Barillo has set up a counterattack by hiring a military general name Marquez. He wants him to kill the president while he's visiting Culiacan. Now, I have a man to make sure that Marquez never takes power. The last piece of the puzzle is Barillo. What I just gave you ensures that Barillo is out of the picture while the battle ensues. In the aftermath I will calmly waltz away with the twenty million pesos that Barillo is prepared to pay Marquez."

"You want me to go with you?"

"You detain Barillo with the information you have, then join me and share the cash."

She muttered something in Spanish.

"You meet me two nights from now at La Pileta, ten p.m. sharp and bring only what's important."

Sadie widened her eyes at what she just heard. She needed to have a few words with Sands.

**Author's notes: Sands is gonna be in trouble! Please review and tell me what you think x**


	6. Solo for now

**Author's notes: I hope everyone is enjoying this story. This chapter has a bit less Sands and a bit more El, Fideo and Lorenzo, but Sands will be back in the next chapter, I promise!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time..., its plot or its characters.  
**

**Chapter 6 – Solo…for now**

Sadie was waiting for Sands outside the flats. She glared at him as he walked out. Noticing her glare, he asked:

"What's up?"

"I think you know what."

He still seemed completely clueless.

Sophie unleashed her anger on him.

"Not only are you hiring fifty billion different people to work for you, you're allowing the president to be killed, killing innocent people _and_, as if that isn't bad enough, you're only doing it for the money: twenty million pesos! That's the only reason you're doing this job, that's the only reason you're stopping Marquez: wait, _killing_ Marquez!"

He looked at her straight in the eyes.

"You're just perfect, aren't you Sadie? You always do your job right. Don't you ever think about yourself? About money?"

"I'll get paid very well when I report back and have done my job correctly. Unlike you, who will go with nothing but the sack," she replied.

"Hold on a minute Sadie, how will you have done your job right if Marquez and the president are dead?"

"They _won't_ be dead, Sands, when are you going to understand that?"

"But they _will_ be."

"No they won't!"

"Yes they will!"

"No they – I'm not playing this stupid game. I'm gonna complete my job, arrest Barillo and Marquez, save the president, sack you, get paid well and live a happy life. Unlike you. And if you want my help, well tough. You're on your own, Sheldon."

She turned and walked away. She wasn't far off town, she could walk it.

"It's Sands!" he called after her.

She ignored him.

* * *

Sadie sat with El, sheltered from the midday heat in the shade of his room. Sadie had been explaining her plan to him, and he seemed to have gone along with it. They were interrupted by his phone ringing.

"Who is it?"

"Sands."

"Put it on speakerphone!"

Whatever Sands was telling El, Sadie wanted to hear.

"Hello?" El answered.

They heard nothing but inaudible noise.

"I can't hear you!" El called.

A few seconds later, they heard Sands' voice.

"Hello? Can you hear me now? Okay-" a loud noise interrupted him. "Dumb bells. Did you assemble your team?"

El's room was a mess. Everything, every knife, every bullet, had been taken out of the case and onto the bed. El looked at it, hoping Sadie's plan would work.

"You know I did," El answered. "Why are you having me followed?"

He was now looking at Cucuy, who had been watching them from the streets ever since Sadie had stepped into the room. Sands coughed.

"Oh yeah, that. Let's just call that a…well, don't worry about it. Because Cucuy also provides protection."

"From what? Mosquitoes?"

"Oh gosh, I really wouldn't mess with him if I were you, because he's kinda dangerous. And he's not very happy that you killed his man."

"You killed his man?" interrupted Sadie, in a whisper.

El covered the phone with his hand.

"Long story," El whispered back.

They both looked over the balcony to see Cucuy pointing a gun at them both. They backed away, shutting the doors.

"Oh yeah, by the way, I have your next assignment."

Sands proceeded to tell El his assignment, while El and Sadie listened intently. Before he went however, he asked:

"Is Sadie with you?"

They exchanged glances.

"No. Why?"

"Okay…" Sands sounded doubtful. "If you see her, tell her that I said to give me a call, and that it doesn't mean I like her, because I really don't. Got that?"

"Yes. I'll tell her."

Sadie snorted.

"How mature."

* * *

El, Fideo and Lorenzo stood outside the main government building in Culiacan, clutching their guitar cases. Sadie stood in front of them, wearing her white sun dress and pretending to be their manager. Because these three were the Mariachi band hired to play at a lunch the President was holding.

"You all get the plan?" she asked.

They nodded.

"Good. Go in there, do what Sands told you to do. And whatever you do, don't let Sands know you're double-crossing him."

"Won't he recognize you?" asked Fideo.

Sadie laughed.

"Do you honestly think he'll be there? He's way too lazy to get off his backside, that's why you're here. Now, are we ready?"

They nodded again.

"Then let's go."

They walked to the side gate. To Sadie's horror, they were greeted by the President's advisor.

"Are these the Mariachi's?"

"Yes."

"Hey…don't I know you? Weren't you at the bull fight?"

Sadie shook her head frantically.

"You were! You're Sands' girlfriend!"

Sadie had to try very hard not to shout at this man. How could he think that she was his girlfriend?

"Look, I've never met Sands. I'm just helping out. And I wasn't at any bullfight yesterday."

"How did you know it was yesterday?"

"That's when the last bullfight was."

He nodded, but his eyes were narrowed in suspicion. He unlocked the gate, shutting it after them.

"This is the back entrance. Make a note of it."

Sadie nodded to El as the advisor walked on ahead. He nodded to Lorenzo and Fideo, and the four of them followed, walking through tall wooden doors into a corridor. This corridor lead into an impressive hall.

"Hey!" said a couple of guards, walking in front of them.

They all stopped.

"Who are they?"

"Musicians," explained the advisor.

One of the guards knocked El's guitar case.

"Why so heavy?"

"Built in amplifier," explained Lorenzo.

"Play something," another guard demanded.

"All right," Sadie agreed, nodding to the Mariachis.

They pulled their guitars out and began playing a cheerful tune, singing along.

The guard waved at them, telling them to stop.

They packed their guitars away.

"Good luck," Sadie whispered to them.

"Don't get into trouble," El whispered back.

"I was afraid you couldn't play," the advisor told them once they were out of earshot from the guards.

"Are you kidding?" Sadie said.

* * *

An hour later, the 'party' (if you could call it that) was under way. Sadie was mingling with the crowd, finding out as much as she could. Fideo and Lorenzo were playing quietly in the centre of the room, while El walked around playing on his own.

As El wandered through the crowds, he discovered the glass side door he would enter through in a few days. He looked at the lock, studying it to work out to open it.

"Find anything?" asked Sadie casually as she walked past him.

"Just how I'm going to get in," he replied.

Sadie nodded, and then vanished into the crowd.

El walked towards the president's table, strumming the guitar in time with his steps.

He bowed to the president; then walked away, listening to their conversation. He saw Sadie watching him.

"What we are looking for is support," said the President. "From the people of this state. A man can do a lot alone, but he can do better with his people backing him."

Sadie walked towards Fideo and Lorenzo.

"How are you doing?"

Lorenzo shrugged.

"I wonder how much we're getting paid."

"A man who wants nothing is invincible," Sadie told him, walking away.

Sadie went over to El, followed by Fideo.

"Hey, are you gonna tell him that this is his last meal?" joked Fideo.

"It won't be," Sadie said. "He'll live."

Sadie and Fideo watched as El walked back towards the president.

"Is he seriously going to say that?" asked Fideo, disbelieving. "I was joking!"

Instead, El asked:

"Is there a particular song you would like to hear?"

The President told him, a traditional song, many Mexican's favourite.

El played what he was told, Fideo and Lorenzo joining in. Sadie however, had to leave. She had someone she had to meet…

**Author's notes: Three guesses who Sadie's going to meet! Please review x**


	7. Together Again

**Author's notes: Yay! Sadie and Sands are together again! And they're flirting some more (what a surprise)! Anyway, this is quite a big chapter and it's starting to get exciting...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time..., its characters or its plot.  
**

**Chapter 7 ****– Together Again**

"We just played for _el Presidente_, but I can't buy half a drink with this crap!" cried Lorenzo angrily as he joined Fideo and El on the balcony.

"It was meant as an honour," Fideo replied calmly.

"Whatever. We need money."

"It's happening tomorrow. Sadie will pay us, enough for all," answered El. "Even for you Lorenzo."

"Why are you suddenly interested in this? What's in it for you? And how can you trust her?"

"Only revenge. Much delayed revenge. And we can trust her, if you trust me. Now, go practice."

"Practice? Playing or shooting?" asked Fideo.

"What do you think?"

He shrugged.

"I don't think. I drink."

* * *

"Hi Sands."

He turned to face Sadie.

"I thought you'd never show up."

"We're a team."

"You think so?" he asked, laughing.

"Sure. We're like yin and yang."

He smiled, shaking his head.

"Funny how you've suddenly changed your mind."

"I was thinking."

"And what's your conclusion?"

"I'm gonna be nice to you, even though you don't deserve it. But it's easier than ignoring you. Also, we're not _working_ together. You try and do what you want; I try and do what I want. Friendly competition, if you like. Do you agree?"

"Well, I'll be nice to you, as always. And we can compete, but I'll win. So, are you going to tag along with me for a bit?"

"Sure. I'm all planned out. What are you up to?"

He frowned when she mentioned that her plan was sorted.

"I need to ring Jorge. Nice dress, by the way."

She smiled. It was her favourite, purple and pink patterned.

He pulled his phone out to ring Jorge, to discover it was ringing anyway.

"Jorge," he muttered. "Yeah, hello."

"Been following Barillo and the good Dr. Guevara."

"Oh, Agent Ramirez, no longer retired. Good man, welcome back."

"I haven't seen illegal activities yet. Only that Dr. Guevara is scheduled for a medical procedure on November 2nd."

"Ah, the Day of the Dead, that's tomorrow."

Sadie smiled smugly to herself. She knew that already.

"I also identified a member of the group as Billy Chambers. A fugitive, we've wanted to arrest him for some time now."

"Billy Chambers?" muttered Sands thoughtfully. "You've heard of him, right?" he asked Sadie. She nodded, of course she'd heard of him. What good agent hadn't? "Yeah…You sure?"

"I'd bet my badge on it."

"Well…whatever they're up to, I can guarantee you that it's going to happen tomorrow. So, my suggestion to you-"

"What's going on tomorrow?" interrupted Jorge.

"If you see an opening, take it."

"What do you know?" he asked frantically.

"Not enough; get inside."

With that he hung up.

"You can't just leave him hanging!"

"He's FBI, he can handle it. So, what do you think Billy Chambers is up to?"

"I don't know. I knew about the Day of the Dead, Mr Cooper told me. But that doctors appointment, that's interesting…"

"How did Mr Cooper know about the Day of the Dead?"

"Please, he knows everything."

"Not everything, otherwise he wouldn't need us."

Sadie rolled her eyes.

"Whatever."

* * *

Jorge Ramirez put the phone down thoughtfully. Why wouldn't Sands tell him anything?

He took out his earpiece when he saw Chambers cross the street.

"I've got nothing," he said to himself. "I gotta get in, I've got nothing. Try to make a move. I don't have a move to make. What are you gonna do stupid?"

The answer came to him as he continued to watch Chambers.

"Billy Chambers is on the move," he said, beginning to follow him. "Where are you going? You're buying a taco," he answered himself as he saw him go over to a taco stand. "This is too easy. Where are the other guys? This is a setup. It smells like a setup."

He turned back, but a little voice in the back of his head told him otherwise.

"I'm making my move."

He walked up to Billy Chambers, gun (with no bullets) in hand. Chambers looked no different to last time he saw him, cowboy hat and holding his white Chihuahua, Moco. He never put that dog down.

"Billy Chambers."

"Well, that depend on who's asking," he replied, turning to face Ramirez.

"I thought that was you. Here, let me pay for this."

"Oh," said Billy, surprised. "Well, thanks."

Jorge passed the money on his wallet. As the vender took the money, it revealed his FBI badge underneath. Billy's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh…" he muttered, removing his sunglasses. "Is that real?"

"Yes, it is."

"Well, what took you guys so long?" Jorge showed Billy his gun. "Whoa, you ain't gonna need that. Believe it or not, I'm ready to go."

Ramirez shrugged.

"Let's talk over there," he said, gesturing away from the crowds.

Chambers nodded.

"After you."

"No, after you," insisted Jorge.

They ended up in the church, where it was being cleaned for the next day.

"Man, I just wanna get out of here," Billy said. "I've been on the run, hiding in Mexico for the last…eight years. And I've been working for the cartel for the last four. I haven't got a thing. I can't go anywhere."

"Jorge Ramirez," introduced Jorge, offering Billy his hand.

He took it, shaking it firmly.

"I'll take you in under the FBI's supervision and protection, until we can take you back to the U.S. where you _will_ be prosecuted for your crimes."

"Crimes in the U.S."

Jorge nodded.

"The things that I've had to do for the cartel are unspeakable."

"You don't know what Barillo's up to?"

"I'm close to the man, really close. But he won't let anyone know."

"Can you get him close to Barillo?" Ramirez asked, pointing to Moco.

"Him?" he said doubtfully.

"I need your help."

He attached a tiny microphone to the dog's collar.

"Then you get me out of here?"

"Then I'll get you out of here."

"Him too?" he pointed to the dog.

* * *

El knew he was being followed by at least half a dozen men, maybe more. And sure enough, there was Cucuy. El knew Sadie hadn't told him to do this, but he felt it necessary.

"There's a cartel on every corner," Cucuy told him.

"Sands told me you handle protection," said El, nodding.

"I don't work for Sands anymore. And since I'm a Mexi-_can_, I can do whatever I want."

El shrugged.

"I guess I don't work for Sands either. But there is someone I work for, free of charge."

"Who? That girl you were with?"

El nodded.

"Goodbye."

"There's a price on your head," muttered Cucuy, grabbing him. "I'm going to collect it. Why don't you just tell Barillo everything you and that girl know? Maybe then he won't kill you. Maybe."

El chuckled.

"And if I don't?"

"Remember that old man I killed in your village? Well, what if your _whole _village was next?"

"Would you kill them?"

"Me? They certainly would," he said, looking at the men surrounding them.

"Then I guess I have no choice…but to kill you all."

He quickly fired a shot t the nearest man, pulling out his gun, and then punched Cucuy in the face. He spun around in the centre of the square, guns in both hands. Cucuy aimed a gun at him, and El shot the watermelon directly behind his head. Cucuy jumped in surprise.

"You…are last," El told him.

A market shoot-out was probably the last thing the locals were expecting, but El was determined to win this fight. Which he was doing pretty well. The men were diving out of the way, as market stalls and crates went flying. Next came men on bikes. Conveniently, El noticed a market stall attached to a bike. He hopped on quickly and drove out of the town centre. Cucuy yelled furiously, and the men followed.

El turned around to see men on foot and bike haring after him. He unhooked the stall, letting crash into them, and pulled the bike up into a wheelie as he drove down the street. Men were still following him however as he drove into a maize field. He fired a few shots behind him, knocking tow men off their bikes. Once he came out of the field, he found himself on some rich person's drive way. He was rapidly losing the men who were following him, but he still at a least three behind him. He pulled on the brakes as he saw an expensive, pink, convertible car in front of him. Then he jumped off the bike and into the car. He pulled away quickly, to the surprise of its owner. He swerved, knocking into some of the cyclists, but there were more. Unfortunately, they had a rather nasty crash. He jumped out of the car, greeted by Cucuy and a couple of other men. Cucuy aimed a gun at El, and he didn't have time to get out of the way. The dart landed in his forehead, knocking him out instantly.

"That should put him out for a few days…and give him some nasty dreams."

* * *

"Well, I must say, it's good to have you back, Sadie."

Sands and Sadie were sharing a coffee together at a café. She smiled.

"It was only a day, Sands."

"A day's a long time."

"Why do you insist on being called by your surname?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Because I don't like Sheldon."

"What about your middle name?"

"Don't like Jeffrey either. What's your middle name?"

She blushed.

"Verona."

"Sadie Verona Carter? What's wrong with that?"

"It's weird."

"It's a city in Italy. Nothing weird about that."

She smiled.

"Thanks Sands."

"You're welcome, Sadie."

* * *

"I present to you Señor Cucuy," announced Billy Chambers, interrupting Barillo from his weekly music lesson.

"Sit please," Barillo said, dismissing his teacher. "So…you are the man who brought us The Mariachi."

"The man I work for, Mr. Sands, he is using the Mariachi to kill General Marquez. I'm not sure if he'll do it though, he's double-crossing him and working with some girl."

"So you want to join us? Here's how it works. There is the bait, there is the trade. A favour for a favour."

Cucuy considered this for a moment.

"So El Mariachi is the trade?"

"No. You are."

* * *

_El showed his beautiful daughter, Eva her new miniature guitar that he had made for her. He sat with it on her lap, listening intently._

_Later, she went out to market with her mother. As usual, El waited for their return. _

_It was sunset when they came back, laughing and smiling. Then, a van full of armed men appeared._

"_Carolina!" cried El._

_She ran, clutching Eva._

_Marquez was at the wheel._

_El ran down the stairs, rushing for the front door. He tried to get there in time, but he couldn't make it. The last thing he heard were Carolina's screams and Marquez's gunshots before he felt a crippling pain in his stomach. He collapsed to the ground, the blood seeping through his white shirt. He remembered Marquez had taken her necklace before leaving. _Her _necklace. Carolina's necklace, that El had got her._

El woke up in shock, finding himself in a dark room, guarded by three idiots. It was time to escape.

El was proud to say he made it out of that room, with hardly any blood. He stumbled into the grounds, the drugs still controlling his body.

"General Marquez is arriving!" someone cried. "Bring out the Mariachi! Bring him out to the General!"

El watched Marquez. It was the first time he had seen him in the flesh since Carolina's death. His hatred for him had only grown.

"I didn't kill you before," El whispered. "Too much blood had been shed. But I see now that blood will spill again."

**Author's notes: Please review x**


	8. What Have I Done?

**Author's notes: It's getting closer to The Day of the Dead, so that means that it's also near the end of the story! Enjoy this chapter, thanks to anyone who has reviewed or favourited this story x**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time..., its plot or its characters.**

**Chapter 8 – What have I done?**

"So he'll be up to something tomorrow…But what?" Sadie was speaking, more to herself than Lorenzo or Fideo about Barillo's plans with Doctor Guevara. "Maybe he just has an illness we don't know about. Or maybe it's something more sinister…"

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of gunshots and smashing glass. To her relief, it was simply Lorenzo, practicing shooting – as requested by El.

She clapped when he hit every bottle lined up on the balcony ledge.

He checked his gun, and seeing that he still had one bullet left, snatched Fideo's bottle from his hand.

"Hey, hey, hey, Lore-"

It was too late; the half-empty bottle was already positioned on the ledge. He went to snatch it as Lorenzo aimed his gun. Sadie's phone began to ring. Lorenzo shot, and the bottle shattered in Fideo's hand.

"Good shot," muttered Sadie before picking up her phone.

"Why?" asked Fideo.

"Practice shooting, not drinking."

"Hello?" Sadie answered, shooting a 'shut up' look at the two men.

"We're on."

It was El. Before Sadie could say anything else, he hung up. She stared at the phone, as if begging El to ring back, tell them more. As if by magic, it did ring, but this time it was Sands.

"I need you to meet me at the bar where you first found me in Mexico."

"No! I'm on my way to busting the cartel, I don't have time."

"Sadie, please," he begged, his voice sounding desperate.

"Forget it Sands, I'm not helping you out."

Then she hung up.

* * *

"By order of the President, they're searching all vehicles for guns and drugs," the driver told Barillo and Billy through the blacked-out window of Barillo's limousine.

"He's been doing this on all the roads," Chambers muttered, turning Moco so his microphone would pick up on everything Barillo said.

"Take us back another way," he said.

The driver nodded, walking back to the front seat.

"By order of the President," scoffed Barillo. "Who does this guy think he is? He wants to get rid of me? I'll get rid of him. Replace him, even. Then I will simply disappear. Come on, we need to move."

Little did Barillo know; Jorge Ramirez had heard every word.

* * *

Sadie looked at herself nervously in the grimy hotel mirror. The Day of the Dead, the day she'd been waiting for. She wore tight black jeans and a black vest top, a smart black belt holding her guns around her waist. Her hair was pulled back off her face, and her make-up was under-done and natural. She was ready.

* * *

Barillo lay on the operating table, prepared for what was about to happen next. Doctor Guevara moved towards him, anaesthetic needle in hand.

"Don't put me out completely," he told him.

Half the amount of sedative was injected into his hand, a drowsy feeling overcoming him, though he was still very much aware of his surroundings.

"Have my men wait outside," Barillo instructed.

They did as they were told. Photos covered in diagrams of where to cut were pinned up onto boards and various knives were sharpened. Doctor Guevara was ready, and slowly, steadily, made his first cut, right under Barillo's eye.

* * *

"Gracias," smiled Jorge, thanking the waitress for his coffee. He sat down at a table in the shade in the outside seating area of his favourite café.

"Barillo and Doctor Guevara must already be inside the building," Conveniently, his favourite café was right next to the hospital. "Having entered through the back or basement. They should be…" he checked his watch. "Mid-procedure."

Suddenly, a black car pulled up directly outside the entrance, followed by a four by four. Men with guns ran out and into the building.

"Federal agents. This is going down now."

He stood up hastily, and ran to the hospital.

He ran through the lobby, dodging nurses and patients. He pushed into a lift just as the doors were closing. He loaded his gun, and was ready for whatever happened. He left the lift when it reached the top floor. He crept up the stairs leading to the private rooms, and saw two armed guards at the top, their backs to him. The sound of gun shots caused them to move however, leaving Jorge with an opportunity to get up there. More gun shots. Unfortunately though, Guevara had escaped.

Ramirez entered the white corridor, the silence sending a shiver up his spine. He turned a corner and saw dead bodies scattering the floor and blood staining the walls. He entered the first room he saw, where a body lay on an operating table, a sheet covering it. Confusingly, blood covered the sheet where the head was. He lifted the sheet and gasped at what he saw. It was definitely Barillo, but where the face should have been, there was no skin, just muscle and an awful lot of blood.

"If Barillo wanted to look unrecognizable to authorities he succeeded. Massive tissue loss due to an only partially-completed facial reconstruction wasn't necessarily the cause of death."

On his way out, he heard a jingling noise. A large gold ring lay on the floor. He crouched down and examined it. He shook the hand of the body, and watched as the rings on the long fingers fell off.

"They switched bodies."

* * *

The AFN agents ran through the hospital, guns in hands. Ajedrez slipped into a lift as they ran past, escaping unnoticed.

* * *

Jorge found himself on floor nine. He turned a corner, nerves eating his insides. He turned as he saw AFN agents approaching, hoping for an escape. Instead he saw Barillo, strapped to an upright stretcher, bandages covering his face.

"Barillo!"

He couldn't say anything more though, as Ajedrez snuck up behind him, delivering a sharp blow to his head with her gun. He crumples to the floor.

"FBI," she said, looking at his badge. She saw the words 'RETIRED' written faintly over it. "He was anyway. Bring him along."

* * *

"Listen, I cannot do everything by myself," Sands cried desperately into his phone. It was the first time he had spoken to the CIA since arriving in Mexico, and right now he really needed them. "I need someone to go in with me," his voice had lost its usual coolness. He spoke quickly, his voice raised in panic. "No, I lost my inside man, probably dead. What _about_ Sadie? She gave up on me earlier, she's on her own and so am I. And as for Cucuy, the greedy idiot that he is, ratted me out and has disappeared." He ducked into an alcove. "Plus, I'm pretty sure the cartel is shadowing me," he said with a nervous laugh. "Now, listen, I have got a great bunch of guys intercepting Marquez's army but they've got no guns! Just listen; I want you to understand me. This is no time to muck around, because this is the big day, alright? Hello? Hello? Are you there?" His response was a loud beeping noise. He put the phone down crossly.

"Okay, okay, I'm going to freak right out."

He made his way quickly to the café, wishing that Sadie was there.

He took his sunglasses off and tossed them onto the table. He thought he was dressed appropriately for the Day of the Dead, wearing black trousers, shirt and waistcoat, with a brown jacket. He sat down and accepted the menu from the waiter. He opened it without bothering to read it, and ordered his usual.

He opened up his phone.

"Yeah, listen, I need a new line. This one's been compromised. Okay? Thank you. I'll be waiting here at the La Vaca Volando." He was interrupted by Ajedrez sitting down opposite him. "That's right. The Flying Cow."

He put down the phone nervously, not noticing the men approaching him from behind.

"You really didn't see it coming, did you?" asked Ajedrez, smiling.

* * *

Sadie walked towards The Flying Cow, not even sure why. She had a job to be doing, yet she felt like Sands needed her help. As she approached the entrance, she heard a woman's voice. Frowning, she looked in to see Ajedrez at a table with Sands. Sadie watched curiously, and by then it was too late. She didn't notice Doctor Guevara behind Sands, so when he pushed his hair out of the way and stabbed a needle into his neck there was nothing she could do but watch Sands collapse. Sadie backed away into the shadows, tears pricking her eyes. She watched as they carried Sands' limp body put and carried him across the street and into a building. Forget El, forget the cartel, forget her job. She needed to help Sands, but all she could do for now was wait. If only she'd been there a few seconds earlier…What had she done?

**Author's notes: Cliffhanger! I will update soon, I promise. Sorry for the lack of SadiexSands in that chapter, please review x**


	9. The Day Of The Dead

**Author's notes: LAST CHAPTER (apart from the little epilogue which I'm also posting)! I hope anyone who has been reading has enjoyed it, and thank you SO much to Ditte3 for your lovely reviews, if anyone else would like to tell me what they thought I would love a review (hint hint). This chapter is _way_ longer than the others, and I probably could have fitted it into two, but whatever. I hope you like it x**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time..., its plot or its characters.**

**Chapter 9 – The Day of the Dead**

Sands opened his eyes. He could feel a throbbing pain in his head, and for some reason he was lying down. He could just make out Ajedrez, but apart from her, darkness. Why was it so blurry?

"Sorry baby, I told you I wasn't interested in your scheme," Ajedrez said. "Too small."

He looked around him, his vision returning slowly. He saw a man with his face covered in bandages speaking to another man.

"Oh my…Is that Barillo?" he asked.

"That's the new Barillo. The old Barillo died in surgery a few hours ago."

"What kind of cartel would have _you_ running its operation?" he said, glancing towards Barillo, while trying to remain calm.

"I'm his daughter."

Sadie was right! Why didn't he listen to her?

Barillo moved towards her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"You've been spying on my operation for some time."

"I feel it's only fair to warn you that killing me is crossing the line and you will have every CIA agent from here to Guantanamo Bay up your backside, sir, so just know that."

He tried to stop his voice from shaking, but he was failing miserably.

Barillo lifted up an injection.

"Fortunately for you, nothing you did is worth dying over. You have only _seen _too much." He looked towards the other man. "We are going to make sure that doesn't happen again."

The last thing Sands could remember was the man moving towards him, a spinning metal drill in his hand. Then he thought: 'Why didn't I tell Sadie that I love her? Why?' And then all he could remember was his eyes widening in shock, and he just couldn't shut them. A hand holding his face still. And then pain, and his screams, and then blackness…

* * *

"On this day of the dead, I offer you a chance for new life," said the president, making notes. He looked up at a loud bang.

"That sounded a little extreme for a parade," he said to his advisor.

"There are troops coming up from the south," he replied.

"Whose?"

"Emiliano Marquez."

"Well, what do we do?"

"We stay here. This place is fortified. It's much easier to defend this place than to chance going out in the open."

"Nicholas? What are you talking about 'fortified'? Come here!" cried the president, hurrying after Nicholas.

"Just stay clear of those windows, sir. You let me handle it."

* * *

Sands took an uneasy step out of the door, his hands groping around and meeting nothing but air.

Sadie gasped.

"Sands!"

Her smile vanished when she saw his face. It was pale, and he wore his sunglasses. They covered his eyes, and she saw blood dripping down from beneath them, leaving smears across his cheeks.

He grabbed onto her.

"Sadie?"

"Yes! Sands, what's wrong, can't you see?"

"I have no eyes…" he muttered.

"What?" Sadie asked. She went to remove his sunglasses, but he grabbed her wrist.

"No! Don't, there's nothing there to see."

"Oh, Sands, why?" she asked, tears forming in her green eyes.

"I don't know. Sadie, I love you."

She gaped at him.

"There's no time for that now!"

"But…"

"Yes, I love you too, but Marquez is on his way! Who did that to you anyway?" she asked, partly shocked by his sudden emotions.

"Barillo, Guevara and Ajedrez. You were right."

She nodded. Sands looked around him, noises echoing in his head. He grabbed Sadie's hand and held it tightly.

Sadie knew that she had to get Sands medical help, but she knew she had to stop Marquez. It wasn't about the job anymore, it wasn't about the money. It was about life or death.

"We're living la vida loca," he whispered.

"Yeah," she muttered back, not sure what he was talking about.

She eyed the man further up the street suspiciously. Something was up…

Sands began to walk, pulling Sadie along.

"Listen, do you have your guns?"

"Yeah," she said again.

"Can you shoot them?"

"Yeah!" she cried, insulted.

"Well?"

"No…"

They continued to walk. Suddenly, Sands knocked his head on a ledge jutting out from a building.

"Ouch! Sadie, you're supposed to warn me about these things!"

"Sorry!" she cried, tears trickling down her cheek. "But I'm finding it hard to cope with the fact that you're blind, I might die in the next hour, the whole of Culiacan might die in the next hour, and on top of that, you love me!"

He groaned and ducked down, making it past the ledge.

"We need to get to the centre of the city."

"Sands, we're being followed," she told him.

"Really? It's a little difficult for me to tell right now because I'm having a bad day."

"Sands, this is no time for your sarcasm!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry," he said, and for once he sounded like he generally meant it. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, he's close."

"Okay, get out your gun. Shoot the guy!"

"Sands, I'm not gonna be able to hit him."

"I don't care, now how close?"

"Very."

"Then shoot him."

"Sands, I can't. I'll get us both killed," fear and reality was dawning on Sadie.

"What? Okay, fine."

He continued walking, before suddenly spinning around and pushing Sadie down. He aimed Sadie's gun (which he had quickly snatched from her belt) in front of him.

"Right or left?"

"Right."

He shot quickly.

"Was that my right or your right?"

"My right."

"Oh."

The guy leapt forward, shooting wildly. Sadie ducked down, dodging out the way. Sands fell back towards the wall, just missing the bullets. The man ran in front of Sands, and he spun around aiming his gun wildly. Sands grabbed the man nearest to him and pressed his gun to his head. Of course he had failed to notice that the same fate as the man who now had Sands' gun pressed to his had had happened to Sadie, the gun at her head belonging to the guy who Sands was trying to kill. She reached for her other gun, but he pulled her hand back.

"Wrong man," she muttered.

"Sorry," Sands said to the terrified man, releasing him.

He tossed Sadie's gun on the floor, and the guy let Sadie go. She drew her other gun and walked to where the gun lay on the floor. Sands raised his hands in defeat. The guy pointed his gun at him when he moved his hand. He put his hand to his sunglasses.

"Look away Sadie," he told her. She did as she was told. "Look me in the eyes," he said. The guy took off his own sunglasses in disbelief as Sands removed his. "And then kill me." He put the glasses back.

Sadie took this moment as the perfect opportunity to kick her gun to Sands, who ducked down and picked it up. The guy reacted quicker then Sands had hoped for and fired his gun, grazing Sands' upper arm. He spun around and shot, hitting the guy right in the centre of his forehead.

He dropped the gun and clutched his arm as their follower fell to the floor.

"Are you okay?" Sadie asked running forwards to look at his wound.

"Fine," he answered. "You?"

"I'm fine. At least the bullet didn't go in…"

"I told you, I'm fine, it's just a scratch."

Sadie nodded and went over to the guy, removing his guns. Sands couldn't use hers for much longer. She was going to need them. Sands looked around him fearfully, all the sounds seeming louder and more terrifying than they should.

She handed the guns to him.

"Now you're thinking Sade," he said. "Look, we need to get to the centre of the city."

"Then let's go."

* * *

Fideo, Lorenzo and El were in his room, checking the inside of their 'guitar' cases to make sure that everything they needed was in them. El looked sadly at his daughter's doll that he kept in there.

"For you…" he whispered. "For our daughter…" he shut the case and put the doll down, removing his gun. "For Mexico."

* * *

The crowds at the Day of the Dead parade screamed and ran as the army vehicles full of armed men drove through the streets. Explosions and screams were coming from left, right and centre. Through the wreckage, walked the three Mariachis.

"The President is a good man," El told them. "I'll go around the back. Meet me in five minutes."

* * *

"Watch him," Ajedrez told the guards who were in the room with a dozy Ramirez.

She then left, leaving just two men.

"What do we do with him?" one asked.

"I don't know. Let's think about it over a drink."

With that, they left.

"Watch him," they told Chambers, who stood outside, on their way out.

* * *

Lorenzo looked around the corner. He saw men, women and children running and screaming.

"Just lay low. They'll leave us alone."

"Uh-huh," nodded Fideo sarcastically. He walked around the corner slowly, and shot the first army guy he saw.

"What are you doing?" cried Lorenzo, pulling him back.

"I don't like the military," Fideo answered calmly.

El made his way to the back. He had no idea where Sadie was, and could only hope that she was alright. He quickly unlocked the gate and made his way down the steps.

* * *

The bright green taxi pulled up near the centre of town.

"Get out," the taxi driver said.

"Why are we stopping?" Sands asked.

"We can't go any further," the driver replied.

"Why – why not?" Sands asked, his voice getting higher.

"Sands…" Sadie began, but she was interrupted by the driver.

"Just look out there! It's madness!"

"I can't see, you idiot! I have no eyes!"

The driver turned around, revealing eyes made even larger by his ridiculous glasses.

He shrugged.

"Well then listen to it! The military's throwing over the president. You guys have to get out now."

While he was saying this, Sands had picked up his phone. He had managed to dial a number, despite not being able to see. Sadie watched him curiously. He slowly pulled the phone away from his ear, a confused expression on his face. He chucked it across the car miserably.

"Keep your money because I'm not moving an inch," the driver told them.

Sands sighed and nodded. Sadie opened the door and climbed out, followed by Sands. He looked around slowly, using all his senses.

"Sands…we've got to do something."

He sighed and removed his jacket.

Sadie handed him the belt she had stolen off the guy who had been following them, followed by the guns and a pair of leather gloves. Sands put them on carefully, and managing quite well – although he did put a glove on the wrong hand.

Sadie led him forward, and watched the taxi quickly pull away. She really wasn't ready for this.

* * *

"Now what?" asked Lorenzo. "I'm out of bullets!"

"I have armour-piercing ones," Fideo told him, pulling a pack of them out of his pocket.

Lorenzo loaded his gun, and leant round the corner, shot quickly, and then pulled back in. He sighed, his nerves killing him.

* * *

El leant over the balcony, watching the men below him. Two of them left, leaving just one, standing directly at the foot of the stairs. El sat his guitar case down, and stood on it. It made a very good sledge, and allowed him to slide down the stairs, landing on top of the man. He slid on his back across the floor, landing at the feet of another man.

"What do you want in life?" El asked him.

No answer.

"Good choice."

He jumped and hit him round the face. He had to move on. He looked through the barred doorway in front of him. There were the twenty million pesos.

* * *

"Okay, let's go!"

Fideo and Lorenzo ran out of their hiding place, shooting wildly and dodging explosions.

It was time for their secret weapons.

Lorenzo lifted up his guitar case and pressed the button concealed on the top. This sent a stream of flames to come out of the neck, knocking down several men.

"Fideo!" he called.

Fideo quickly opened his guitar case and pulled out a remote control. Then he shut the lid and pressed forward on the controller. This sent the case forward, and he kept steering it until it was under the army truck. Then he pressed the red button, causing the case to explode, and with it, the truck.

* * *

Nicholas ran towards the president.

"It's no longer safe to be here sir, let's go."

They ran towards the entrance, guards following them, only to be greeted by more army men. They ducked down, dodging bullets.

"Nicholas, what is this?" asked the President furiously.

"You have a meeting with General Marquez, sir."

They were interrupted by El storming through, and with a few quick punches and gunshots had knocked out the army men. He was joined by Fideo and Lorenzo, who shot Nicholas. He fell to the ground, a shocked look on his face. El beckoned to the President, indicating for him to follow him.

"It feels like you need some protection, sir."

"Who are you guys?" the president asked.

"Sons of Mexico, sir."

* * *

Sadie sighed.

"Good luck Sands."

"Are you scared?" he asked her.

"Yes," she muttered.

He squeezed her hand.

"You'll do fine."

"It's not me I'm worried about," she admitted.

He didn't answer.

"Sands, you've got to understand that I'm worried about you. I love you, and now… It's just so scary, and I just can't imagine what you had to go through."

"I wouldn't want you to," he said. "I love you Sadie."

"I love you too."

"Are we in front of the building?" he asked.

"Yes," Sadie nodded. "It's straight ahead. Two men have just come out of the doors."

"Okay…" he pushed Sadie away from him. "This is it, Sade."

Sadie stood where he had pushed her to.

"I don't hear you running."

"Sands, I'm not-"

"Go, Sadie."

She sighed.

"Fine, but if you get into trouble, I'll be here."

She slipped into an alleyway, peeping round the corner. She fingered her gun nervously. This really was it.

Sands slowly pulled out his gun. The two men were in front of him, yet didn't seem particularly threatened.

Then it started. Sands shot, madly and furiously, every shot missing, until he ran out of ammo. The men looked around, half surprised, half amused. Sands reloaded, jigging on the spot, waiting for them to shoot back. Instead, they just laughed. They were unprepared. So when Sands shot the man on right in both legs, it was a complete shock. He fell to the ground, his mouth gaping like a cave. He cried in pain, and Sands finished him with a shot to the chest. The man on the left reacted instantly, shooting Sands twice – one just above his right knee, another on his left thigh. He collapsed to the ground, his glasses falling off as he did so. Sadie screamed and ran towards him, tears streaming down her face. But before she had even got close, Sands had picked up his gun again. He listened carefully. Sadie realised what he was doing and stopped dead in her tracks. The man walked towards them, but was stopped when Sands shot him in the foot. He bent down in pain, and fell to the ground when Sands shot him in the head. Then Sands sat up, looking around.

"Sadie?"

"I'm here Sands," she said.

He didn't answer. He fell forwards, silent. Sadie moved in front of him. Avoiding looking at his eyes (or where they should have been), she felt for a pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found one, slow and steady. Then she forced herself to look at his face. She felt physically sick at the sight before her. Where his beautiful brown eyes once were, were now hollow sockets, caked in blood.

"You need to go," he whispered.

"Where?" she asked, shocked. "I'm not leaving you like this!"

"You have a job to do."

"Sands, it doesn't matter. You need help."

"Not now! Just go, find El, or something…"

"Do you really want me to?"

"Yes."

She stood up.

"Alright then."

* * *

El, Lorenzo and Fideo hurried through the corridors of the government building, the president following.

"Why would the people want me dead? I've done nothing but help them," the President said, the anxiety in his voice clear.

"What are you talking about?" asked Fideo. "Let me show you something," he took him by the arm and led him to the window. "Look out there! You see?"

They ducked as a bullet broke the glass.

"Well, don't look too closely, _Presidente_." Lorenzo muttered, leading him away.

"Your people are out there fighting for you, you understand?" Fideo told him.

El ran towards them.

"Take off your jacket," he said.

"This also?" asked the President, pointing to his Mexican flag sash.

"Yes," nodded El, removing his jacket too. "Put this on," he handed it to him, taking the President's things for himself.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the centre of town, it was still madness.

* * *

Lorenzo unlocked the gates that lead to the room where the twenty million pesos were. He pulled the cover off the case, and sure enough, there was the money. He and Fideo opened their guitar cases and began to stuff as much money as they could inside.

"What is this?" asked the President.

"This is money someone paid to kill you," replied Lorenzo.

"And now it's money to save your life, _Presidente_," muttered Fideo.

* * *

Marquez walked through the doors to the building, four armed men behind him. He signalled for them to follow him, and made his way to the President's office.

"_Presidente_!" he called.

But he wasn't there. Instead, it was just The Mariachi and a girl.

El turned away from Sadie and walked to Marquez. Sadie backed into the alcove by the window, watching closely.

"Leave here and lock the door," instructed Marquez. The men did as they were told. "Carolina?" he asked.

"She died."

"Your daughter?"

"She died."

"You?"

"Dead."

"And I?"

"Alive and well…"

Sadie sensed it, and so did Marquez. Sadie had begged El not to kill Marquez, to allow her to arrest him. But in the end he won, and she knew he wanted revenge.

Marquez pulled out his gun, but he wasn't fast enough. El spun around, revealing the gun that was hidden behind his back. He shot twice, each shot hitting Marquez on each knee. He fell to the floor, his kneecaps completely gone. He tried to pull himself up, tried to shoot, but he couldn't.

"In hell."

And then he was gone.

El bent down next to him, and pulled something off from around his neck. Sadie bent down next to him, and discovered it was a heart pendant. She could only guess it was Carolina's.

"Everything in its place," he whispered. "Come on."

By the time Marquez's men had come in, El and Sadie had escaped, climbing out through the window.

* * *

Ajedrez ran towards the back entrance.

"Let me in," she told the guard.

He unlocked it and let her through, not realising who else was with her…

* * *

"_Presidente_!" shouted Barillo, stepping through the doors.

He stopped in shock when all he saw was a dead Marquez, lying on the floor. He screamed in rage.

"Ajedrez!" he called, seeing her look out of the window. She was looking at the black figure lying in the street. She loaded her gun, watching as he slowly moved his head. Then she went out to see him.

* * *

Sadie stood in the alleyway, watching as Ajedrez strode towards Sands. Horrible thoughts shot through her head, and she hated Ajedrez for what she did to Sands.

Ajedrez knelt down beside him.

"You idiot," she said, laughing quietly.

She placed his sunglasses over the sockets.

"Stand up," she ordered.

She pointed her gun under his chin and pulled him up, clutching his good arm to support him. He was still holding on to the arm where he was shot, and crippling pain was shooting through his legs.

"See anything you like?" she asked.

Sadie frowned. What was she doing?

To her surprise (and horror), Ajedrez kissed him. Sadie felt herself turn green with envy, although she was pleased to see that Sands didn't kiss her back.

A gun shot broke the silence. Ajedrez backed away in shock, clutching her stomach. When she pulled her hand away, she was shocked to see dark red blood. She fell down, looking at Sands questioningly.

"No," he answered, before falling back to the floor beside her. He tossed off his fake arm and attempted to shut his eyes, before realising that he couldn't.

Sadie ran towards him.

"Thank goodness I thought of your fake arm!" she smiled.

He smiled weakly back.

"Is she dead?" he asked.

Sadie felt for a pulse.

"Yes, and so is Marquez. El killed him. I failed, but I don't know about Barillo."

* * *

Barillo stared out of the window, and saw his daughter, lying on the floor, beside the CIA agent and some girl, the only one who seemed alive.

"Do you remember a man named Archuleta?" a voice called. It was Jorge, walking in behind Chambers.

"Why?"

"I present to you Special Agent Jorge Ramirez," introduced Chambers, clutching Moco tightly to his chest.

"You tortured and murdered Agent Archuleta. He was my partner," Jorge said, moving in front of Chambers. "He was also my friend."

"Agent Ramirez, you have to follow certain rules," Barillo said, leaning casually against a railing.

"Oh, I'm retired. Rules don't apply to me any more than they do to you."

"Mr Chambers."

"Yes sir."

Billy moved in front of Ramirez.

"You're just going to stand there?"

"I'm afraid anything but standing's gonna cost you extra."

"Then you leave me no choice."

Ramirez leapt forwards and shot Barillo's other man before he could fire, and Barillo pulled out his own gun. Sensing what was coming, Chambers moved Moco behind his back, and was ready when the shot came. Jorge fired again, but missed his target. To his surprise though, Barillo still fell to the floor. All thanks to El Mariachi.

Barillo fell backwards and out of the window.

"That's what happened to Barillo," Sadie muttered.

El didn't stay to chat. He had to someone to see. Jorge watched Moco run out from under Chamber's still body sadly. No one to care for him now.

* * *

"Come on," Sadie said, slipping Sands' arm around her shoulder. She stood up slowly. She moved him towards the wall, and let him lean against it. He sighed and clutched his arm.

"Ow," he muttered.

"Ramirez!" cried Sadie.

"Where?"

"Right in front of you."

Sadie smiled at the retired FBI agent in front of her. She chose not to question the Chihuahua in his arms.

"Hey," he said, tossing Sands' phone to him.

"Did you get your man?"

"One of them," he nodded.

Sands shifted uncomfortably.

"If that isn't inter-agency co-operation, I just – I just don't know what is."

Sadie and Jorge laughed.

"See you later."

"Bye, Agent Ramirez," Sadie smiled.

"Bye," murmured Sands.

"Will you be okay?"

"No lo se," he replied, shaking his head.

No lo se…I don't know.

"You will be," she said softly.

She leant in and gently pressed her lips to his.

"Hey!"

A shout interrupted them, and Sadie pulled away quickly. It was El.

"Come on Sadie," he said.

"Where to?" she asked. "I need to get Sands to hospital and then we need to get the plane back to America."

El looked at Sands.

"What happened to him?" he asked, although he obviously didn't care.

"Hi to you too, El."

Sadie walked towards El.

"Is the President alright?"

"Yes. He's with Lorenzo and Fideo."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. And you?"

"Fine, but Sands really isn't. We need to get going. But, maybe we'll see each other again?"

El frowned.

"So…you're going?"

"Yes."

"With him?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to?"

"Yes."

El nodded slowly.

"Then I guess this is adios."

"I guess it is. Adios, El."

"Adios, Sadie."

He turned around and walked away, strumming his guitar gently.

"Gracias!" she called.

He didn't reply, but he smiled to himself.

Sadie walked back to Sands.

"I think he was a bit jealous," Sands said, laughing.

Sadie smiled.

"I think he was."

**Author's notes: Poor Sands - sorry Ditte3. It's not finished yet, please read the epilogue - it will only take a second - for that matter, so will reviewing, so press that little green button...**


	10. Epilogue Toxic

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time..., its plot or its characters. I also don't own the song Toxic.**

**Epilogue – Toxic**

_With a taste of your lips I'm on a ride_

_You're toxic; you've got me slipping under_

_With a taste of a poison paradise_

_I'm addicted to you,_

_Don't you know that you're toxic?_

Britney Spears

Well, I did it. I fell for the man that everyone told me not to. Sheldon Jeffrey Sands, the heartbreaker. Though he would never dream of breaking my heart. The girls at work still won't accept him; they tell me that he's toxic. I suppose he is, in a way. But in the best way possible.

I got him to hospital in Mexico. He had to stay there for a couple of weeks, and I stayed too. I wasn't injured, but they still wanted to check me. As for Sands, they cleaned up his bullet wounds, but as I suspected, there was nothing they could do about his sight. He's finally managed to accept that he's blind, but refuses to remove his sunglasses in public. He gets some strange looks…

He's managing okay though. The CIA still let him work there, as a field agent too. He can't go anywhere on his own, but that's not a problem, as I'm his official partner. He's got a guide dog too, a golden retriever called Toni. Who would've guessed that such a tough guy got on so well with a dog?

Mr Cooper wasn't too fussed that I failed. The President's safe, the cartel's gone, and the people of Culiacan live in happiness. I want to go back to Mexico some day, meet up with El. I hope he's alright.

So, slowly, Sands is adjusting to his new life. It's hard for all of us, but we're gonna manage. I just know it.

**Author's notes: It's finished! Thank you to readers, reviewers, favouriters (if that's a word), Robert Rodriguez for making a cool film, Johnny Depp for making Sands awesome, Britney Spears for singing a great song and my mum for proof reading. I think that's all...There may be a sequel, I'm not sure. I have ideas but I'm a bit stuck, so you'll have to wait and see. Lots of love, savvybizbie xxxxxxxxxx**


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